Aamir Khan, one of THE most finest actors in Bollywood today, has never failed to deliver when it comes to making a great movie.
Be it a producer, director or an actor he mesmerizes and leaves you entertained by his work. One great thing about Aamir is that he never tries to steal the show like most bollywood actors, he is a team player and concentrates on the movie and uses the supporting cast very well.
Here’s my top 5 Aamir Khan stunner’s.
5. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
Absolutely one of the most brilliant films especially in 2001. It was an eye opener for bollywood and the desi junta (people), it left people glued to their seats in excitement and thrill. It embarked Bollywood internationally as it was nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film after Mother India.
The movie is set in the Victorian period of the British Raj and revolves around the peasants from a barren village who are oppressed by high taxes imposed by the British. When the peasants attempt to persuade the officers to reduce the taxes, the officers put forth a proposition to the peasants. One senior officer offers to cancel their taxes for three years if their village team beats him at cricket. After accepting his proposition, the villagers face the arduous task of learning the game and playing for a result that will change their village’s destiny.
All the cast members did a real brilliant job. From directing to songs to the story line to the performances all was very entertaining and you will never forget this movie.
4. Sarfarosh (1999)
This was THE film that restored my faith in Hindi movies, this movie was not your typical “Bollywood hungama” types. This movie had a real message which was brilliantly portrayed by excellent and well rounded acting by the cast and some actual research on the plot.
Directed by John Matthew Matthan, who started working on Sarfarosh in 1992. Seven years were spent on the research, pre-production and production till it finally released in 1999 (which is one of the reasons why the movie was superb).
The film dealt with an Indian police officer’s fight to stop cross-border terrorism.
Ajay Singh’s brother is killed and his father brain damaged by terrorists when Ajay is a small boy, because his father was going to stand up against them in court or something. Ajay takes this to heart (as you would), and as a young adult he devotes himself to becoming a police inspector and fighting against crime, and terrorists in particular. The movie is essentially about one case, where Ajay has to get to the roots of an operation smuggling guns into the country.
The movie also stars Naseeruddin Shah and Sonali Bendre.
For me this movie is as good as any Hollywood movie such as “The Blood Diamond” or “Few Good Men” etc. The movie has substance, a great plot and very very convincing characters.
3. Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
Akash (Aamir Khan), Sameer (Saif Ali Khan) and Siddharth aka Sid (Akshaye Khanna), three close friends, have completed their education and are on the threshold of life. Akash does not believe in love. He is a flirt and his love affairs do not last for more than a month. Sameer believes in love. He is always carrying his heart on his palm and falling in love every time. But he still has not found that special girl. Sid, a painter, is the most sensitive and mature among the three. He knows the true meaning of love. He finds love in everything, everywhere and everytime.All three are enjoying life. Then comes the twist when Sid falls in love with older woman Tara Jaiswal (Dimple Kapadia), an interior designer, who is a divorcee. Akash is not able to understand the depth of Sid’s love and hurts his sentiments for which Sid slaps Akash, thus creating a rfit between the two friends. Sameer tries to bridge the gap but is unsuccessful.Sid leaves for a painting workshop at Kaushali. Akash leaves for Australia for his dad’s business. On the flight, he meets Shalini (Preity Zinta), who he had briefly known earlier. Their friendship slowly blossoms into love. Meanwhile Sameer also finds his special girl in Pooja (Sonali Kulkarni), whom he wants to marry. Time has passed. All three friends are again in the same town — but things are different for them now.
2001 was the year when Aamir Khan turned from a good actor to a great actor, two mega releases “Laagan” and “Dil Chahta hai”…..both these movies were a real big eye opener for the industry and the common people.
The first film written and directed by Farhan Akhtar. The movie was based on a similar experience of Akhtar’s friends.
Dil Chahta hai is a wonderful story of three young friends and it focuses on a major period of transition in the lives. It is set in modern-day urban Mumbai and portrays contemporary Indian youth as cosmopolitan and urban who have a fun and chilled out life style.
The movie was a great hit with the crowd because the youth was modern and open to new life style and ideas which bollywood was failing to accomplish, the best example for this is portrayal of “Rahul” by Sharukh Khan in “Kutch Kutch Hota hai”, the movie was real fun at that time but the times had changed, Dil Chahta hai was a real freah breather for the industry as it changed the format.
Another great thing about this movie is the fresh new songs, the awesome trio : Shankar, Ehsaan and Lyod, need i speak more.
The movie stars Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta.
This is one of my all time favorite movies and i can still relate to it.
2. Taare Zameen Par (2007)
This is a very special film for me, this is the movie i really relate to the most, it reminds of me something that i been through in my life, somewhere deep within it felt like “that’s me”. Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi is basically a glimpse of ourselves.
This was a debut for Aamir Khan as director, but the real credit goes to Gupte and Bhatia who put seven years of work and research into developing the film.
Aamir Khan shows his talent not just as an actor but a very versatile and intelligent. Oscar Wilde, Leonardo da Vinci and Sally Gardner were hardly ever heard of in Hindi cinema before this.It’s two-thumbs up for Shanker Ehsaan Loy. The title song is fascinating. Maa and Jame Raho combine talents in all respects- music, words and voice.
Taare Zameen Par is a story of a young Dyslexic Kid Ishaan Awasthi, who is unable to comprehend things that is taught to him in school and ends up being a duffer, unworthy child in his entire School. His parents too fail to realize his real problem and held’s his carelessness and negligence responsible for his derogatory performance in his studies. He is shifted to a boarding school by his Dad after his Dad gets enough of Ishaan’s complaints from the school. This breaks Ishaan fully and he loses all his young budding hopes filled in those innocent eyes of his, until he meets his new Art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) in his Boarding school. Ram understands the problem Ishaan faces and also discovers an amazing talent hidden in Ishaan. Ram very soon realizes the fact that he is the only Hope in the sinking life of Ishaan. Now he has to help Ishaan in making him realize his Young dreams once again……
The casting is good, well justified and well acted and little Darsheel steals the show. Aamir Khan, however stuns the audience by appearing at almost near half of the film. That’s the surprise but you don’t miss Aamir in the first half because Darsheel will definitely grab your attention and Aamir gets to show some good directorial talent.
1. Rang De Basanti (2006)
THE film that stirred the nation…..the film that awakened India.
It was a fantastic movie especially how the story was depicted and how the past and present met in the middle. I’m a big fan of this movie and it left such an afterthought for me that i couldn’t watch it again…purely out of respect and the depth(which only an Indian can understand) it had.
written and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra who put seven years to research and develop the story, including three to write the script.
The movie has such deep Indian youth rebel feel to it that it makes you wanna think and derive conclusions from facts.
RANG DE BASANTI is a story about the youth of India today. A young, London based film- maker chances upon the diaries of her grandfather, who served in the British police force in India during the freedom struggle. Excited about these memoirs, she makes plans to shoot a film on the Indian revolutionaries mentioned in the diaries. She comes down to Delhi, and casts a group of five friends to play the pivotal roles of these revolutionaries. However, products of modern India, the five youngsters initially refuse to be part of the project, as they don’t identify with these characters from the past. Not surprising, considering that they’re part of a generation of Indians that believes in consumerism. To them issues like patriotism and giving one’s life for one’s beliefs is the stuff stuffy text- books are made of. They would rather party than be patriots. In the film both the 1930’s British India and the India Today run parallel and intersect with each other at crucial points. As the film reaches its resolution the line between past and present blur’s, as they become one in spirit.
The brilliance of Aamir Khan is something very difficult to narrate, he has proved it umpteen number of times that he is truly the most versatile actor in the industry. His comic timing in the first part to the true rebellious missionary in the second will keep you stunned. He is extremely fluent even with difficult Punjabi tongue twisters and the acting prowess he has shown would be very difficult to match by anyone around. Yet again Aamir uses his entire cast to bring out the plot in the movie to its best.
Even the music was revolutionary, It had brilliant and very suitable tracks. A.R. Rehman does not need any introductions, one of the best musicians and music directors in the world.
All in all a fantastic mind boggling movie which will have really long after effects.
P.S. – Do not watch this movie at dinner because your food will get cold!!!
